Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Kalinovskiy 'does a runner'

Once again Ukrainian law enforcement officials have shown themselves, in the words of an old song, to 'have wooden legs, and their dogs to have rubber teeth'.

In the small hours of 30th May this year, Serhiy Kalinovskiy, step-son of the infamous Dmitro Firtash [of RosUkrEnergo fame] and a member of Kyiv's 'gilded youth', smashed his convertible BMW M6 at high speed into a stationary Lada, killing his own 25 year old girlfriend and also the occupant of the Lada. On June 11th a farcical failed attempt was made to smuggle him out of the country from the clinic in which he was being treated for 'injuries incompatible with life'. More background details on this story from a previous blog here.

In recent years there have been many cases of members of Ukraine's political elite killing innocent members of the public by driving recklessly. None of these cases have ever been properly dealt with or investigated.

This Saturday Kalinovskiy 'dissappeared' from the swanky 'Biofarmtekh' clinic in Kyiv, where he has supposedly been treated for the last three and a half months, whilst on bail and under guard. He was apparently assisted by a group of accomplices, and having changed clothes, escaped through a rear entrance. He then climbed through a hole in the fence and was driven away in a waiting automobile.

Much has been made of stripping criminal immunity from VR deputies recently, but everyone knows that in reality, if you've got enough money and the right connections you have it already - you are truly above the law.

Is it any wonder Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are considered to be bad joke..